Six eventful decades

The history of Endress+Hauser

Growing from a small business to one of the largest instrumentation suppliers worldwide, Endress+Hauser has experienced both turbulent times and rampant growth. However, sustainable success has been at its core throughout.

2017 The company bolsters its flow portfolio with the acquisition of SensAction AG, a German manufacturer of innovative systems for measuring the concentration of liquids.

A strong team

However, these unlikely business partners proved to be a perfect match. Endress’ vision and Hauser’s caution proved to be the cornerstones of success. The young engineer clearly saw the opportunities that the new electronic level measurement technology had to offer. Until then, measured values had to be read and gauged by hand. The experienced banker took a careful approach to business and steered the company safely through the turbulent early years.

The early days

The starting capital of L Hauser KG was 2,000 Deutschemarks. The first ‘operating facility’ was in a room in Hauser’s apartment in Lörrach. Incidentally, the firm’s name came from Ludwig Hauser’s wife Luise: the entry in the commercial register of 10 February 1953 lists her as shareholder. The company first traded under the name Endress+Hauser in 1957.

Generation change

Georg H Endress led the company for four decades. He opened up new markets and fields of application, developing the company - specializing in level measurement and growing into a supplier of complete solutions for the processing industry. By 1995, when he handed the management of the company over to his second eldest son, Klaus, the backroom business had grown into a global company with 4,300 employees.

Enhancing product basket and company culture

Klaus Endress (born 1948) purposefully continued his father’s work and developed it, over time leaving his own managerial mark. He successfully met the challenges of a globalized world, recognizing the significance of services and solutions. Klaus Endress continued his commitment to a strong company culture and followed the strategy of sustainable growth.

Change at the top

On 1 January 2014, Matthias Altendorf (born 1967) took over as CEO of the Endress+Hauser Group from Klaus Endress, who became President of the Supervisory Board. Mr Altendorf promotes digitalization and applications for the Industrial Internet of Things and is further developing the offering in the field of laboratory and process analysis.

In 1953, two seemingly different men came together to set up a new company in a private apartment in Lörrach, Germany: One was the Swiss engineer Georg H Endress, just 29 years old, tall and strong; the other was 58-year-old German bank manager Ludwig Hauser, clearly older and slim in stature.

Endress+Hauser owns subsidiaries on all six continents. Today the Group employs a workforce of more than 13,000 employees in production, sales and services worldwide, generating net sales of over 2.2 billion euros.